Interview With A Ghost
by GhostOfAMelody
Summary: Who are Sam and Dean Winchester? Finding out the truth was more than just looking at what they had done, it was talking to the ones they had loved and lost to uncover what maybe the brothers themselves didn't even know. It was interviewing the dead to better understand the living.
1. Prologue

This was just kind of a random concept I thought up and will feature a different "ghost" in each chapter, so I hope you guys find it interesting!

All characters (apart form my own) and all rights belong to Supernatural,

Reviews are greatly appreciated,

I hope this turns out!

* * *

The question was simple enough:

_Who are Sam and Dean Winchester?_

The answer, on the other hand, was far more difficult than I previously expected. Even people in the hunting community who knew the brothers could only give me brief glimpse into the darkness that shrouded their life. To find the answer, I was going to have to look a lot deeper.

Maybe I should start from the beginning.

My name is Lainey Kingston. I'm a part time Journalism student and part time coffee shop employee. My interest in the Winchesters extends three years back, when they found themselves in my town by the way of a poltergeist. They had questioned me, asked a bit about the history of the town and whatnot. I answered as best I could and gave them each a free coffee for their trouble. And then I forgot about them, as simply as that. It wasn't until my coworker Janine went missing the next day that we all started to get concerned. I didn't correlate the brothers with her disappearance, at least not right away, and it wasn't until she reappeared and they were long out of town that I learned the truth; Janine claimed to have had a poltergeist problem at her house. As I skeptic I didn't trust a word out of her mouth, but as a friend I gave her my full attention.

It had started off small, keys and shoes went missing, pictures were knocked off the wall, glasses knocked over, nothing that couldn't be attributed to her clumsy cat. And then came the shadows down the hall, the voices heard in the dead of night, and the scratches that appeared on her back and stomach. Janine started to get worried and phoned around, finally being connected to the Winchesters through a friend of her uncle. They had arrived just in time, the spirit had allegedly trapped her in the basement and was moments away from burning the house down when the brothers banished it. Turns out the spirit was a previous owner who had been buried on the property and didn't like people outside of the family living there. Janine swore every word was true but this was also the girl who claimed mice were responsible whenever a leftover muffin went missing from the display cabinet. And yet a spark of curiosity was ignited in my mind. Who were these two men that had come to her rescue? She hadn't paid them and had certainly had never met them before, and yet they were more than willing to just show up and offer their help. As time went on, I found it harder to ignore this nagging feeling that those men were somehow more important than I had originally thought and my obsession with learning everything about them grew. So armed with only their names, I asked Janine to get me in contact with her uncle's friend and thus began my descent into the world of the paranormal.

Any skepticism I had was gone about a month into my research, as was any hope I had of finding what I was looking for. The hunter community was a nice, if rather secluded group. They were happy to divulge information but none were too keen on actually assisting me in finding the answer. The Winchesters were somewhat of a legend, everyone knew their name but no one was actually chummy enough with them to tell me anything of substance. After several more weeks of searching, I stumbled upon a disappointing discovery; those closest with the Winchesters, the people who could tell me everything I wanted to know, were dead. Almost all of them. I was heartbroken; my first major research project cut as short as those peoples' lives had been. But I was not willing to give up quite yet, there had to be another way to go about this. And that was how I met Julius.

I call him my ferryman, but in truth he's just a reaper who was as curious about the topic as I was. Turns out the Winchester name is known by more than just humans. Angels and demons and all monsters in between speak of it with a mix of terror and awe. Their status ranked a lot farther up than I had even imagined. And now I had the key to their lives, an insane plan that I knew could go wrong in so many different ways but I couldn't abandon it without at least trying it out first. Julius had agreed to help me with a task that went against the whole natural order of things. He would bring back the dead from their past, just long enough for one last interview and one last chance for me to figure this all out. It was a dangerous job, it's always dangerous messing around with death, but even more so when it could attract the attention of the man himself. Julius couldn't say how his father would react, but we both agreed that we would go on for as long as we could no matter the consequences.

So with that in mind, I decided to start off at the beginning, with someone from Sam's past. A student not much younger than myself who at one point had a bright future ahead of her with the man she loved.

My first interviewee was the second skeleton in the Winchester closet and Sam's dead girlfriend, Jessica Moore.


	2. Jess

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* * *

I was nervous about speaking with Jessica, not for any reason other than the fact that she was dead. I hadn't put much thought into how these people would react to being brought back solely to tell me about the men who were indirectly, or in some cases, directly, responsible for their deaths. I wasn't even sure she would show up as the time that Julius was supposed to meet me slipped past. I made him promise not to force anyone to come with him, they had to want to talk to me. It was the only way this was gonna work.

Twenty minutes past the scheduled meeting time, Julius finally showed up followed closely by a pretty blonde haired woman who didnt look frightened or angry to be there, just mildly confused. This might've been partly due to our location; perhaps it hadnt been the best idea to choose a cemetery given who I was dealing with, but it was less intimidating than a hotel room and we were less likely to be disturbed by any outsiders. I noticed something about Jessica right off the bat that made me more relieved we were out of the public eye. She had an edge of transparency to her, not enough that she was completely see through, but just so that she didn't look entirely real. The sun shining on her back lit her up like it wouldn't do with a normal human being, she almost seemed to glow. I raised an eyebrow at Julius.

"Sorry, not as strong as I thought I was. This is the best I could do." He cast a quick look around the graveyard. "You have ten minutes, so be fast. Any longer than that and it sets off some warning bells to my father that something is up. Even more so in an area like this."

I nodded and turned my attention to Jessica. "Jessica Moore? My name is Lainey Kingston, it's very nice to meet you, please take a seat." I gestured awkwardly at the ground beside me and she walked over and sat down, leaning her back against the tree behind us, greatly diminishing the glow caused by the sun.

"So, you want to ask me questions about the Winchesters?" She asked, still sound slightly confused.

"Yes, you don't mind if I record this do you?" I held up my tape recorder.

"No, not at all."

"Thanks," I set it down on a rock beside me and hit record before opening my notebook and flipping through my list of questions. I had no idea where to start.

"He's not here, is he? Sam?" Jessica craned her to neck looking towards the parking lot.

"No, I'm afraid not. I don't actually know him all too well..." She looked at me suspiciously.

"Then why am I here? You brought me back from the dead to ask me questions about someone you don't even know?"

"It's a lot more complicated than I can explain," I floundered, looking for the right answer. "I don't know them but I need to know why they do what they do. They helped out a friend of mine and I'd like to know why." It wasn't a solid explanation but it satisfied Jessica enough for her to nod at me to continue.

"So, first things first, you dated Sam Winchester. What was he like?"

"Sam? He was...He was great. Kind, generous, _handsome." _Jessica replied with a slight laugh at the end. "But he never truly believed in himself. I think that had something to do with the way he was brought up, but he didn't talk about his family much either. I don't know much about them."

"Did you ever meet his brother Dean?"

"Yeah, once, when he broke into our apartment in the middle of the night! He seemed kind of arrogant to me but Sam always spoke highly of him, when he did speak of him, that is."

"That wasn't long before you died."

"A couple days, maybe. I don't remember too much about dying. That night I was up waiting for Sam to get home so I made some cookies and was going to take a shower and then...I suppose that's around when I died."

"Are you angry that you died?"

"I was, still am a little bit. I had so much left to do, you know? But you just sort of get used to the idea, you can't change the way things are. I do miss Sam though, even though he probably doesn't even think of me anymore."

"I'll bet that's not true..." I was distracted by Julius tapping on his wrist.

"How would you know? You said it yourself, you don't know who they are." Jessica had noticed too and stood up, wiping the palms of her hands on her nightgown.

"People don't forget the ones they love that quickly."

"Maybe not but years have passed and I will place my own bets on the fact that more than one girl had crossed his path at this point. Sorry if I couldn't be more help but my time with Sam Winchester was far too short. Better luck with your next ghost, eh?" She gave me a small smile which I returned.

"You've already done more for me than you could even imagine just by showing up. Not many dead people would be willing to come back to the realm of the living just for a ten minute discussion with someone they've never met before." She laughed again and followed Julius out of the cemetery. She paused at the front gates and turned back to face me.

"Did Sam ever go to that interview? The one for law school?"

I thought for a minute before responding. "I have reason to believe he didn't. Whatever he's doing now, law school is definitely not a part of it." It was hard to tell from the way the light was obscuring her face, but I could've sworn she looked disappointed. And then they were gone and I was left with nothing to do but pack up and head home. For my first official interview, it hadn't gone as badly as I had expected. Sure, I didn't get a whole lot further in my search but it was a start and there were more names on my list to check off.

All I had to do was wait for Julius to get back and give him the next name and muster point. I was going to have to travel a bit for this one, more specifically, I had to go to Nebraska. I figured the key to convincing the next ghost to help was going to involve going to where he once lived and a place I myself was keen on visiting. In a few short hours I would be packed and on my way to the site of Harvelle's Roadhouse.


	3. Ash

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* * *

I arrived at the Roadhouse not really knowing what to expect. I knew it had been burnt down and not to expect much, but I couldn't fight the chill I got staring at the wreckage left behind. Even with the hot sun beating down on my back, I found myself wishing I had brought a cardigan. The Roadhouse more or less consisted of half a wall and a pile of blackened rubble behind it. I chose to set up on the ground once more, this time bringing along a blanket and couple of pillows. I wasn't sure how long I'd have to wait.

Just as I settled down and fiddled around with my tape recorder, a man with an impressive mullet and sleeveless shirt came around from the back of my car followed closely by Julius.

"Ash?" I asked tentatively. What threw me off guard was how solid he looked. While Jess was clearly not one of the living, I wouldn't have given this man a second glance had he walked past me down the street. Not for that reason, anyway.

"You must be Lainey, my you're prettier in person." Ash gave a low whistle and took a seat beside me. He stuck out his hand and I recoiled slightly; my fear was that my hand would go straight through.

"It's alright, I won't bite you. I'm dead not demonic." He said and I reached out and carefully grasped his hand. I was surprised to actually feel a hand and not air, although it was freezing cold. "See? Doesn't hurt or anything."

"Yeah but your hand's freezing." I took my hand back and stuck it under my leg to heat back up.

"Well I am dead, aren't I?" Ash paused for a second before turning to look over at Julius. "Aren't I?" Julius just gave a non-commital shrug and went back to kicking at rocks.

"So.." I turned on my tape recorder, not bothering to ask this time if he cared about being recorderd; I assumed he didn't. "You knew the Winchesters."

"Yep, helped 'em out on a couple of cases. Also assisted in tracking a demon for them. I wouldve considered myself their go to guy when they needed something technological." Ash replied, stretching his legs out in front of him.

"Really?" I hated to be rude, but he didn't quite seem the "technological" type.

"I may not look like much, but I have a lot going on up here." He tapped a finger against his temple.

"Well then, tell me something about Sam and Dean. Something I don't already know." I teased.

"That's a loaded question, they were good hunters, I guess. Died more than anyone I ever knew." Ash shrugged.

"They've died before? Multiple times?" This was new to me.

"Yep, I even found 'em up in heaven once. After I had died, of course."

"What were they doing in heaven?"

"Not too sure, got into a spot of trouble with the angels it seemed. They didn't really say though. I just kept the winged-bastards off their backs for a few minutes so they could escape out."

"Wait, how did you actually manage to track them down in heaven? Surely that place is massive."

"Well, heaven is divided up into billions of different pieces, not one shared area. I figured out how to get to and from everyone's personal heaven and once I heard the angels talking about 'em on my holy police scanner, I tracked them down, simple as that." Ash talked as though this was as simple as tying one's shoes.

"Doesn't seem that simple to me." I said bluntly.

"It is when you've got a lot going on up here." Ash tapped his temple once more and I had to smile.

"Pardon me for asking, but how did you die?"

"It was right in that pile of wood over there." He pointed over at the remains of the Roadhouse and I raised an eyebrow at him so he clarified. "Demons; took the whole place down."

"Did Sam and Dean have something to do with it?"

"More or less, they were sorry about it, I don't really mind. Being dead's a lot more fun anyway, I've never been quite so alive." I highly doubted it but I chose not to continue with the topic.

"I hate to say it, but I think our time's almost up here." I looked over to Julius for verification and he nodded. "It was nice meeting you though, Ash."

"Pleasure's all mine. You know, of you need more info on the Winchesters, I would get into contact with Ellen and Jo Harvelle. They have more dirt on the boys than I do." Ash said standing up.

"Already on the list." I waved my notebook at him.

"Well if you ever find yourself in heaven, you should stop by my piece, I'll save you a cold one and you'll get to see what the Roadhouse looked like in her glory days." He nodded towards the ruins.

"I'd like that, but how would you know where to find me?"

"I'll keep an eye on the scanner, and we'll go from there. I can find anybody, trust me."

"Oh I believe you, but I don't trust that you'll remember me by the time I die."

"Pretty face like yours is hard to forget. See you around!" Ash walked off but not before flashing me the devil horns which I mirrored in response. I was still smiling long after Ash and Julius had left, and I waited around for Julius to come back.

"I didn't even need to slightly convince him to come talk to you. He was all for it from the get go. May have had something to do with why he was so...here." Julius said incredulously after he reappeared twenty minutes later.

"Interesting, I'll keep that in mind." I shrugged and jotted down a quick note in my book.

"So whose next, Boss? Where shall we go?" Julius clapped his hands together and stood expectantly in front of me.

"I was thinking we'd stick around here a bit longer. There's still daytime left and two more names I can cross of the list."

"Meaning?"

"I think it's time to meet the Harvelles." I said with a grin. Interviewing ghosts was like a strange adrenaline rush, I couldn't wait to move onto the next person, and hear the next story. If only I had known back then what I did now; that no two people are alike and ghosts are just the same.


	4. Jo

Gahh, I did the best I could writing Jo so I hope I havent screwed up too much! Trying to keep the characters as un-OC as possible is difficult.

All rights belong to supernatural and any other respective companies,

Reviews are greatly appreciated,

Enjoy!

* * *

I had most of my audio recordings transcripted by the time I realized that Julius wasnt going to be back with either of the Harvelles that night. I returned to my hotel room in a pissy mood and was about to call it a day when Julius barged in.

"The 'Do not disturb' sign applies to both humans _ and _reapers, you know." I grumbled at him as he made himself comfy on my bed.

"I've been working my ass off these past few days and this is how you repay me? Remind me never to help humans again. You're all so bitchy when you don't get enough sleep." He retorted.

"Save it for the souls, Julius, and just get on with why you're here."

"Do you want the good news or bad news first?"

"It depends, is the good news good enough to make up for the bad news or is the bad news just too bad and it doesn't really matter run which order you tell it to me because I won't be happy either way?" I asked and he made a face at me.

"I'm just gonna choose the order and tell you the good news first; Jo agreed to talk to you!"

"Awesome!" I hastily began to gather my supplies. It would be a late night, but it would be worth it. "And what about Ellen?"

"That's the bad news - she said no." I felt my heart sink.

"Did she say why?"

"Not really. I didn't push her too much for an answer. That woman would've torn me to shreds in a heartbeat, I don't even doubt it." Julius shrugged nonchalantly.

"Just great, one without the other. I was really looking forward to talking to her too. She would be had some good stories, I just know it." I bit my lip and sighed in frustration.

"I figured you'd be pissed so I made a plan B. That's just how great I am."

"Plan B? What's plan B?"

"Don't have time to discuss it right now, meet me at the Roadhouse, I'll be there with your next victim...Or whatever you kids are calling them these days." Julius rolled his eyes and was gone before I could yell at him. Muttering under my breath about his stupidity, I packed up my gear once more and headed back out to the Roadhouse. I never thought of it as eerie during the day, but in the dead of night the ruins were downright terrifying. I stayed in my car with the doors locked and radio playing while I waited for Julius and Jo to show up. Talking to certain ghosts was one thing, unexpected encounters were another. I was losing hope again when there came a knock on my window and a pale white figure put their face near the glass. Julius was nearly pissing himself laughing as I tried to compose myself after screaming bloody murder for way longer than I should have. Turns out Jo had agreed to not only talking to me, but also aiding Julius in scaring the shit out of me after I wasn't more grateful for what he had done. As with Jess, Jo appeared borderline transparent and the moonlight gave her a very ethereal glow.

"Not funny, you two." I said, hiding my red cheeks as I set up my recorded on the hood of my car and made sure my pen still worked.

"It was a little funny." Jo teased as she sat up beside me on the hood.

"I suppose, but it makes me look highly unprofessional. And that's saying something since this situation can't really be described as professional." I muttered more to myself than anyone else. "Anyway, you are Joanna Beth Harvelle, daughter of deceased hunters Ellen and William Harvelle, am I right?"

"You've done your research." She noted.

"Ugh, more than I think you realize. So, tell me about Winchesters. Broad question, I know, just answer as obscurely as you can." In Jo's presence I felt myself slipping into more casual conversation as opposed to straight Q&A type responses.

"Obscurely? Well...I guess you could say they were the reason I continued hunting."

"Continued hunting?" I cocked my head curiously at her.

"I didn't start because of them, you can thank my dad for that, but you could say I was _allowed_ to after I met them. I probably would have anyway but my mom was never to keen on the idea, didn't like that I was following in my dad's footsteps. Of course, once Sma and Dean came along she loosened up a little and even joined in once the Roadhouse burned down."

"Isn't it scary though? Hunting? Willingly chasing after all the ghosts and ghouls we're taught to fear as children?"

"Of course it was, but it felt right, you know? I never was big into school and never fit in with kids my age but I could always relate to the hunters that would stop by the bar. Be cheesy and call it destiny, but I got to live a hunter's life and die a hunter's death and I really couldn't have asked for more than that." Jo laughed but there was a look of sadness in her eyes. I was about to comment on it when Julius gave a loud, forced cough. I looked at him expecting time to be up, but instead he gave another series of forced coughs saying "Ask her about Dean." in between them. I whipped my head back around to see a blush creeping up on Jo's pale cheeks, something I didn't think was possible for a ghost.

"What about Dean? Did something go on between you two?"

"Great, just what I need, my lasting impression on you is gonna be that I was some lovesick little girl. Don't you dare even think that for a minute!" She wagged a finger warningly at me before sighing and continuing, the blush still present on her cheeks. "No, nothing happened between us, if circumstances had been different then maybe it would've been a possibility but things just didn't work out that way for us. It wasn't for lack of interest, I liked him and I'm sure he felt the same, life and those demons we were chasing just got in the way, that's all."

"And death."

"Yeah, thanks for bringing that part up." Jo rolled her eyes and laughed. "My mom and I's sacrifice is why those guys are alive today, so make sure you write that point down and underline it."

"Is that why your mom won't talk to me? Because they got you killed?"

"I wouldn't say that. They didn't force us into the line of fire, my mom and I willing walked into that war. We chose to stick behind and set off the bombs that killed us, not them. Sam and Dean tried their best to talk us out. I suppose she could be harboring some anger over it, but that's not like her." She furrowed her brows. "I didn't know she refused to talk to you, if you want I can get Ash's help and we can try and convince her to change her mind?"

"Don't bother, my rule going into this was that I wasn't going to force anyone to do this if they didn't want to. I'll just cross her off the list and move on to someone else." I shrugged and flashed her the page of all the names.

"You made a list? Is Bobby Singer on there? Make sure you talk to him, he was basically a second father to Sam and Dean."

"He's on there, I'll put a star next to his name."

"What's the point of all this anyway? Talking to all the dead people they once knew."

"The best way to find out about someone is to ask the people who knew them best. Everyone has something different to say about them and if I put it all together, I'll get a bigger picture. A glimpse into their lives so to speak."

"Forgive me for being obvious, but why not just talk to Sam and Dean yourself? It seems a lot easier than raising the dead." Jo said bluntly.

"It would be be, but I think my interest in their lives might creep them out a little. It probably creeps you guys out a little. Plus this can serve as my first major research project and who knows, maybe when it's all done and over with I'll write a book." I smiled at her but she didn't look convinced.

"Whatever, I guess you have your reasons." Jo nodded over to where Julius was starting to get antsy. "Looks like we're going to have to wrap things up before your boyfriend blows a gasket."

"He's not my boyfriend, and I suppose you're right. I'm not gonna lie, it's a shame you have to go. That's the part I'm starting to struggle with this job, knowing that I'll never get to see you guys again." I replied.

"Not necessarily. Look me up when you die and we'll hang out more. I'll teach you how to shoot a gun." She teased, hopping off the hood of the car. "If by chance you do run into Sam and Dean, tell them I said hi, okay?"

"Will do, see ya Jo!"

"Bye!" And then just like the others, she was gone. I tried not to dwell on it too much as I packed up and headed back to the hotel room. I wanted to get a bit of a nap in before Julius showed up again. I got about half an hour before the edge of my bed sunk down a bit and a glass of cold water was dumped on my face.

"Argh! What the hell! You couldve just said something or turned an alamr on like a normal person would!" I complained rubbing my eyes.

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that?" Julius said innocently.

"Waking people up isnt a task that has to be fun. What do you want?"

"I have plan B!"

"Who is this plan B person anyway? How far down on the list did you go?" I reached for my notebook and began to flip through it.

"She isn't on your list; she's on mine. And it wasn't easier getting to her and I'm probably gonna get in shit for doing this so you'd better be grateful this time."

"I can't be grateful if I don't know who it is!" I said exasperatedly.

"Her name is Bela Talbot," Julius began. "And I think you're gonna like her."


	5. Bela

I'm gonna be without internet for a week starting friday so hopefully I'll be able to get one more chapter out after this before that happens.

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Reviews are greatly appreciated,

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* * *

"Bela Talbot?" I scratched my head. "Is this mystery woman a friend of theirs that I missed in my research?"

"Hmmm not quite, but trust me on this! I'm sure she'll be more than valuable in this project. A diamond in the rough!" Julius all but sang.

"Someone has a crush."

"Shut up. I told you I worked hard for this one so I expect a good reward."

"Yeah, yeah, you can have a cookie when we get back. What made Miss Talbot so hard to find? Is their some sort of reaper concealment charm in her possession?"

"Nooo...But dragging people out of Hell for no real reason has its repercussions. Reapers and Demons have a sort of mutual relationship until we do stupid shit like that." I nearly choked.

"Hell? You brought me some damned soul to talk to? Oh God, what in the world did she do to get down there...What if she kills me?"

"Oh calm down, you can ask her all that yourself and she won't kill you. She agreed to this interview just like the rest, so I don't think murder is on her mind. I'm going to go get her, so sit tight." This was becoming routine. I would have loved to have gone with him but I didn't think it was possible and didn't feel much like asking. So I did as I was told and got dressed and waited for him to return, cursing 4 am interviews as I did. At about quarter to five, the door opened and a gorgeous brunette waltzed in. My first thoughts were that she had been some CEO of a major corporation before she died, she just had that air about her. As soon as she entered the room, it became hers. Now I knew why Julius was such a big fan of her. My back straightened up immediately and I cursed the fact I was still wearing slippers. I wanted to impress this woman so badly and I had no idea why.

"Bela?" I asked extending a hand out for her to shake. I noted that it quivered slightly.

"Yes, pleasure to meet you. I heard you have some questions about my involvement with the Winchesters." She said in a crisp English accent, taking my hand with a firm grasp.

"Umm, yeah, but I should tell you, I don't know all that much about you so I'd like to figure some of that out first." She let go of my hand and sat down across from me at the tiny table.

"Well go on then."

"I was curious about what you did for a living, before you died of course." She smiled at my question.

"Oh that's a fun one. I sold supernatural artifacts and any sort of charm you can imagine. And if a client so requested, I would perform séances to contact any dead loved one of theirs. In short, I was a-"

"Scam artist." Julius muttered just loud enough for us to hear.

"There's no denying it, but the black market business is the quickest way to make a fortune. Of course I always was careful to phrase it differently than your handsome friend over there." Bela waved dismissively at Julius.

"Handsome? That's a long shot."

"He looks a bit like a young James Dean." Julius smiled smugly at her compliment. An ego boost was the last thing he needed.

"Yeah, not likely to be winning any look-alike contests there...Moving on, this question my seem a bit personal so don't feel the need to give me the answer if you don't want to; how did you end up in Hell?"

"Oh nothing big, sold my soul to a demon to kill my parents." Bela spoke as though this were an everyday occurance.

"They mustve been pretty awful if you were willing to spend an eternity in hell just to escape them."

"They were lovely people." She said with a haunted look in her eyes. Evidently not even Hell could hold a candle to the scars that life had inflicted on her. I decided not to press on the subject and moved the topic back to the Winchesters.

"So, Sam and Dean, did they help you out with anything?"

"Once or twice, I was more useful to them then they ever were to me. They saved my life from a ghost ship once and Dean almost killed me, so I suppose that's about the most theyve ever done."

"Based on your tone of voice, I'm assuming you didn't get along?"

"They weren't too fond of me. Dean especially held a grudge. I don't think he likes it when people are more capable than him. Or when their proverbial balls are bigger."

"What _did_ they help you out with though?"

"They helped me obtain more than one unique item and I made quite the pretty penny off of them. They were none too pleased whenever they found out."

"And when was the last time you saw the Winchesters?" I asked and the haunted look came back into her eyes.

"Right before I died. I didn't see them, I spoke to Dean over the phone. I had gone too their hotel room to kill them, it was my last chance of getting out of my deal, but they were one step ahead of me and put these ridiculous inflatable sex dolls in their beds." Bella gave a short, humourless laugh. "And then the phone rang and it was Dean and he told me he had figured it all out, about my deal and everything. In my final act of self preservation I begged them for help, but he refused. He said it was too late. So I told him about Lilith, how she was the keeper of our contracts and the last thing he said to me was 'I'll see you in Hell.'" Her voice had all but dropped to a whisper.

"Contracts? Plural? Dean had made a deal too?"

"Yes, to save his brother. His was different though, he didn't have ten years, he only had one."

"But that means that he would've gone to Hell already...or he somehow got out of the deal."

"I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that. And I do believe our time is far past up." Bela pointed to the clock on the bedside table; it was already past six o'clock.

"Holy shit! Julius! Why didn't you say anything?" I turned frantically to look at him and he shrugged.

"I was just getting into the story and didn't want it to end."

"But you were the one who said we could get into trouble!" All I got in response was another shrug. "Whatever. Bela it was super great meeting you and thank you for being so open about everything. Most people I know wouldn't freely talk about all the deals they've made with the devil."

"I have nothing left to lose. Maybe something I said will have been of some use to you." She smiled.

"Oh all of it will be. I just wish we had had more time..."

"We'll have to meet up again sometime soon. You take the high road and I'll take the low road." She teased. I noticed it was something that all the ghosts previous to her had done as well; poked fun at their own demise. Part of me hoped they were at least being semi-genuine and did in fact want to see me again.

"Bye, Bela! Safe trip down!" I kept a smile on my face until the door closed behind them. Only then did I drop my head to the table, my thoughts a jumbled mess of all the things I had just learned. Dean was supposed to be in Hell but for whatever reason he either didnt go or got out. This added another layer to what I already knew and I'd have to see anyone else could give me more information on it. People don't just go through something like that and come out perfectly okay. I was back in bed by the time Julius came back eager to track down someone else.

"I could try talking to Ellen again or if you want we can move on to Bobby.." He said looking over the list.

"No, not tonight. Maybe not tomorrow either, I need a break. I'm tired, just let me sleep for awhile." I mumbled into my pillow and pulled my covers up over my head so he wouldn't bug me anymore.

"You get 8 hours. You wanted my help so you have to work on my schedule. The longer we waste time, the harder it'll be to get this done." Julius snapped but mercifully left so I could get some rest. In the end, I shouldn't have even bothered trying. After an hour of staring at the ceiling I got back up and called Julius back to the room, trying my hardest to ignore the smirk on his face.

"I think it's time we took Jo's advice. If there's one person who will know anything about Dean going to Hell it'll be this man right here." I slid the paper over to him, my finger poised over one name, perhaps one of the most important ones on the list.

_Bobby Singer_


	6. Bobby

Whoops! Didn't get the chapter out as soon as I had hoped. Well here it is anyway!

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Reviews are greatly appreciated as always,

Enjoy!

* * *

I was uneasy about the next meeting point we had. Walking through the rusted, old cars gave me chills the way the remains of the Roadhouse never had. It suddenly felt wrong to be bringing these ghosts back to places they had once called there home, especially after they had long since been destroyed. I poked around at an Oldsmobile for a bit until Julius arrived followed by a man who looked like he could be anyone's uncle and could kick anyone's ass.

"Mr. Singer? I'm Lainey, it's nice to meet you." I greeted him cheerfully albeit a little nervously.

"You're the idjit who wants to know what size underwear the boys wear?" He replied gruffly and I felt my face go red.

"What?! No, I never - Julius! What did you say to him?!" I spluttered.

"Nothing! Don't always blame me!" Julius looked far too innocent.

"He's right, I just made that up to see what you'd say. You might as well be asking those sort of questions though. Why in the world are you digging around in their lives? And what makes you think it's acceptable to literally doing up their friends and family to do it?"

"It's for a research project I'm doing." I said defensively.

"Research project? What kind of messed up topic did you pull from a hat? Aren't there wildcats in Africa that need savin'? Go pester them instead." He shook his head at me.

"Look Mr. Singer, I only have a few questions so if you'll please just answer them, I will let you go." I sighed frustratedly and he chuckled.

"I'm just bugging' ya. Ask away, and call me Bobby. None of that 'Mr. Singer' crap." Bobby sat down on the edge of the Oldsmobile and I restarted my voice recorder. I would cut out that embarrassing first part later.

"Well, first things first, how did you first meet Sam and Dean?" I asked.

"Through their dad. He was a hunter as well and used to drop them off at my place whenever he had some big case to deal with. I damn near raised those boys."

"But?"

"What do you mean 'but'? Sure, I had a fallout with their dad and didn't see them for a long time but that didn't change anything. You knew that already didn't you? How do you find this stuff out, what's in that notebook of yours?" He made a move to grab it but I snatched it out of his reach.

"Nothing! I have my sources, we'll leave it at that." I actually had no idea that there had been a fight, I just tried to see if I could get anything more out of him.

"They came to me for help a lot over the years. Those idjits had no idea what they were doing most of the time...Still, I reckon you won't come across a finer pair of men. While some people grow up good, they grew up great. Most people don't get that chance in the situation they were in. Just don't tell them I said that though, Dean's ego doesn't need the extra inflation."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." I said. "Now, someone else I talked to, Bela Talbot, mentioned something about Dean going to Hell?"

"Yep, he did go. And then he got out. When that boy walked through my front door after we thought he was dead and gone, I thought I was seeing a ghost. Of course, he passed all the tests so we had no reason to believe it wasn't him."

"Got out? How does one just 'get out' of Hell?"

"He was pulled out by an angel. Castiel, don't know if you've heard of him."

"_Cas-t-iel."_ I jotted the name on the corner of my page and circled it. " No, I havent. An angel you say?"

"Yup. He's an odd fellow but he means well and has helped the boys out of more than one jam. Doesn't make him any less weird though."

"Aren't we all a little strange in our own way?" I said more to myself than Bobby. "Is there anyone else who knows about Castiel?"

"Pamela I suppose. She was the first one to get in contact with Cas after he pulled Dean out of Hell. Fat lot of good it did for her though, the sight of his true form burned her eyes out." Bobby scratched the back of his head and I hissed low under my breath.

"Ouch, that would hurt. I've asked everyone this, but how did you die?"

"Shot by Dick."

"Pardon?!"

"Dick Roman, you idjit. A leviathan who shot me in the head."

"Oh, sorry. You just phrased that kind of weirdly...Leviathans though? Angels? The plot is really thickening now."

"That's just the start of it, Sunshine. You're just barely scratching the surface on the world of the paranormal."

"So I'm starting to figure out. Anyway, onto the next question -" I scanned the list of what I'd wanted to ask him.

"Now hang on a second, I have some questions for you." Bobby said.

"What do you mean?"

"Research paper my ass! I see how thick your notebook is. An interest this in depth means there's something personal behind your intentions." He crossed his arms and waited for me to answer.

"I'm just curious that's all.."

"No you aren't. Go on, just spit it out."

"Fine!...It started with my coworker being attacked by a poltergeist...Or so I convinced myself.. but it actually started a lot earlier than that. When I was a baby my family moved into this old house on an acreage and right off the bat things weren't right. My mom is a skeptic and so she didn't think anything of it, but my dad is a true believer and always said that he didn't feel welcome in that house. There were no plates flying across the kitchen or ghostly messages written on the bathroom mirror or anything and yet there was a chill to the place that never went away. I didn't sleep in my room for the first three years of my life because my dad saw shadows in the corner of my nursery and was convinced it wasn't safe for me. There were unexplained bruises and scratches on us kids but the scariest part was the voices you could hear if you stayed quiet enough. As if they didn't know you were listening.

I was 6 years old when my older sister Erika died. She was 11. I can still clearly remember that night, she was babysitting me and my younger brother Tom while my parents were out on a date. We were sleeping when it happened. I don't remember hearing anything, not at first, but I was awoken by the sound of my mother screaming. She and my dad had come home and found Erika lying at the bottom of the stairs, completely DOA. It was ruled out as an accident, that she must be slipped and fell, but my dad could never quite believe that. He spent hours pouring over the crime scene photos and researching medical texts and the like, trying to find something to validate his own claims. I can't imagine how hard it mustve been to have to closely examine photos of his own dead daughter. In the end, he found what he was looking for." I explained quietly.

"And what did you think?"

"I didn't think anything. I was a skeptic like my mother. It was an accident, simple as that."

"Bullshit, what did your dad find out?" Bobby rolled his eyes.

"The angle at which her neck broke was all wrong, and it was broken in too many places. He concluded that she hadn't fallen down the stairs, she had been thrown. Something I'm the house didn't like us and that was the last straw. It was one of many last straws, actually. We were out of the house within the month and my parents were separated by the next." I shrugged.

"What about the house?"

"As far as I know it's still empty. I think a few people have moved in since but no one stays long. I swear though, the day we left it felt as though the house itself was happy to see us go. It was just the strangest feeling..."

"And how does this all relate to your interest in Sam and Dean?"

"In a few ways. I can't help but wonder if my sister would be alive if we had had the help from people like them back when we needed it. I also can't understand how they keep moving on after all the death they've experienced. As soon as I started looking more into you guys, the people they loved, I found that a good majority of you were dead. The death of my sister tore my family irreparably apart. I want to know how they can live with themselves after all that hasn't happened."

"They don't just deal in the bad stuff, you know. Those boys are heroes, they've saved so many lives that it out weights those that have been lost. And they have each other, they've always been what the other one needed most."

"I guess..."

"I don't expect you'll understand that, but I don't have the time to sit and explain it anymore. I think it's time your friend here takes me back and you get some sleep. You look dead on your feet and that saying something coming from a ghost!" Bobby said sternly.

"But I still have a lot of questions.."

"And maybe it's best they stay unanswered. You'll find what you're looking for, just as your father did. Give it time and best of luck to you." Bobby got up and walked back over to Julius. He glanced back and saw my look of despair and gave me an encouraging smile. I returned it weakly and shut off my tape recorder as they left. I had wasted the time on my own personal problems. That really wasn't the professional way to conduct an interview but I couldn't change anything. And it had even given me a sense of relief to have finally poured out all the feelings I had bottled up for years. I decided to move onto Pamela next, it was worth it to hear about Castiel through her. Of course, before I could tell Julius that, he came running back over to me all jumpy and excited.

"You won't believe our luck!" He tried to spin me around but I dodged out of his grasp and fell against a truck.

"What?"

"I did it! You owe me so much for this, but I finally got Ellen to agree to talk to you!" He exclaimed breathlessly.

It seemed Pamela would have to wait.


	7. Ellen

I apologize for taking so long with this chapter, I kept getting stuck on it.

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Reviews are always greatly appreciated,

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"Wait until you see my true form." Julius waggled his eyebrows at me in what he considered to be a seductive manner.

"No, that is the worst of the bunch! Nobody wants to see your true form, it's terrifying." I sighed and clapped a hand to my forehead. We had to wait a few hours for Ellen to get ready to talk to us so Julius decided it was a good time for a break. Unfortunately for me, this meant him pestering me with "Reaper pickup lines" instead of letting me sleep. I had to hand it to him though, they were certainly creative.

"You're hotter than Hell. And I would know because I've been there!" He purred and I shook my head at him.

"That might work on Dean Winchester but not any other self-respecting man or woman. What does Ellen have to get ready for? She's dead! It's not like she has to put a fancy dress on or anything."

"I dunno, maybe she's preparing to fight the urge to punch you in the face that moment she sees you. I have that issue all the time." Julius said before slapping a hand down on the table in excitement. "I can bring your beloved childhood cat back from the dead, wanna bang?"

"What if they're allergic to cats?! And that's just freaky not alluring so stop now before you hurt yourself or get arrested." I rolled my eyes at him and stood up, pacing around the room in long strides. "What if she changes her mind?"

"She won't. She promised. I made her pinky swear." Julius checked his watch for the third time in twenty minutes.

"Aha! You're worried about it too! You're just as interested to see what she has to say as I am!"

"So what if I am? This is all new for me. Being a reaper is so monotonous most of the time, it's nice for a change of pace. I feel like a detective!"

"Well then _Sherlock_, better go get our next case!"

"On it already, Watson. See you in a bit!" He dashed out of the room and I feared he would be back with a magnifying glass and Navy Drew novel in hand. I didn't need that in my life.

I was freaked out about talking to Ellen, I got the sense that she didn't exactly want anything to do with me. I couldn't force these people to understand where I was coming from or just what my endpoint was. I was barely understanding it myself. What if one of them got violent? Or decided to haunt me? I hadn't really put much thought into those kind of issues, I had dived headfirst into the project with a severity that alarmed even my closest friends. My sabbatical was received lukewarm at best. On a daily basis I was fielding concerned and curious texts about me and the mystery man I was working with. I was getting tired of telling people it was 50 shades of _not gonna happen. _Naturally, no one took my word for it, and I couldn't tell anyone he was a reaper, so I just played aloof and ignored the questions I couldn't and didn't want to answer. It was really only a temporary fix but I had more pressing matters at hand, ones that had just walked through the door.

Julius walked in looking like a puppy that had been scolded one too many times and I imagine the person who had dome it was the woman with him. She looked tough., there was no other word for her. I couldn't have imagined the owner of the Roadhouse any better, Ellen Harvelle embodied it perfectly. I had no doubt that she had put the Winchesters in their place on more than one occasion. She didn't look like one to sugarcoat much of anything which was probably why Julius looked the way he did.

"Lainey is it? Nice to meet you." Ellen spoke before I could and shook my hand with a firm grip.

"Yes, I'm so glad you finally agreed to talk to me! I'm sorry if anyone pestered you about it, that was not my intent at all!" I said meekly.

"No one else seemed to be talking any sense into you so I figured I would try." Ellen said with her mouth set in a thin line.

"Huh?"

"Never mind, just get on with what you have to ask me." She took a seat opposite me.

"Right, ummm...So you knew the Winchesters.." I began.

"Do you begin all your interviews that way?"

"More or less..."

"I'm surprised you've gotten anywhere with any of them."

"Hey now! A broad topic is a great start to anything. It leaves an opening for literally any discussion. I don't just need to know about the Winchesters, it's nice to hear about your life as well. Your daughter and I had a nice conversation about herself."

"Funnily enough she said the same thing. Between her and Ash, the amount of grief I received on not doing this interview drove me nearly insane."

"So that's why your mad?" I couldn't skirt around it forever.

"I'm not mad, I just don't understand why you're doing this but please continue."

"How did you know them exactly?"

"Through their father, John, he hunted with my husband a couple of times. He's the reason my husband is dead as it so happens."

"Runs in the family I suppose. Getting people killed could their family business." I said perhaps a bit too bitterly for someone who has never actually met these people before.

"Sam and Dean never turned a gun on Jo or I. She made her decision and I made mine. We knew what we were getting ourselves into."

"But why? You could've lived, both of you would still be alive had you turned your back on Sam and Dean."

"Because there comes a time when you realize that you can't just back out of things because you're scared. Yeah I had my concerns on where Jo and I would end up once we started hunting again, but I couldn't stop her from hunting anymore than I could stop time. The only thing I could do was lend a hand as best I could and before long I realized I was just as much a part of whatever shit the boys were dealing with as they were. As it so happens we died the way most hunters do; far too young and as violently as possible."

"Jo mentioned that she was happy with dying a hunter's death. I guess it isn't all bad."

"That's her coping mechanism. Don't think for one second that anyone of us are glad to be dead. If you dropped dead right now, if your life was just over in the blink of an eye, what would you do?"

"I suppose I'd go have that drink with Ash."

"Don't. He drinks the cheap stuff, hold out for something a bit better." Ellen smiled for the first time since she entered the room. "But regardless, you don't just get over it. Especially not after what happened."

"What _did_ happen?" I asked cautiously and her smiled faded.

Ellen took a long time to think before answering. "You ever lost someone close to you? Someone you just knew you couldn't live without?"

"A long time ago, why?"

"Because then you know what it felt like for me to lose Jo. She was the best damn thing this world gave me. And naturally, she was the one to get attacked by the hellhounds. She knew she was dying so she made the decision to stay behind and set off the detonator to kill them. I couldn't let her do it alone."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know.."

"Yeah well she was dead before I could hit the switch. That was the worst part, a parent's worst nightmare, having their kid die before them. If there was one thing I could've changed it was that we would've gone together. I wasn't long after, but it was long enough."

"And Sam and Dean got away?"

"Of course they did! I don't think we'd be sitting here having this conversation if they didn't!"

"So you would still be alive if you hadn't've met them?" I furrowed my brow.

"There's no way of knowing that now is there?"

"But do you...would you think..." I struggled to phrase the question as best I could. "Would the world be better off if Sam and Dean Winchester weren't in it?" It was bluntly stated but I needed her opinion on the matter.

"No. Those boys have made their mistakes but they always do what they can to correct them. I could go on for hours about it, but that wouldn't be good for you."

"How so?"

"Because the picture that's being painted for you is one of the heroic men who save the world from every ghoul imaginable. Everyone you've talked to so far has some sort of fondness for the brothers and because of that, everything they say will be delivered to you wrapped up in a shiny bow. I don't want you to be disappointed."

"How could I ever be disappointed with this? From what I've heard of their endeavors, they've done some pretty amazing things."

"But, don't get me wrong I have nothing but the highest respect for those boys, they are still human and not without faults. You're getting one side of the picture, one half of the story. The people who care most about them will always gloss over any rough edges and in the end you might find you didn't get all you were looking for.."

"But I'm getting everything I sought out to find. At this rate there will be no questions unanswered."

"Sweetheart, there will always be unanswered questions, ones that even they cant figure out. And besides, what'll you do once this is all over? Track them down? Show them all you know about their personal lives? You'll be lucky to leave with all your appendages." She was only slightly teasing.

"It'll all come together in the end, you'll see."

"I see I've failed in talking some sense into you." The smile had returned.

"Most people do in some way or another. " I said seriously before looking down at my page. "Based off of what you've told me, I have one more question for you. In your honest, unbiased opinion, off the top of your head, tell me what you think about them."

"The history books will forget about them. Most people have no clue that those boys even exist. But to those of us who do, we know that they're the last hope earth has of any sort of future. And they have yet to let us down."

"That's all I needed to hear." I shut my notebook with a snap.


	8. Pamela

Sorry if this chapter seems a bit rushed!

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Reviews are greatly appreciated,

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"Oh for Christ sakes, Lainey! What the hell were you doing?" I woke blearily from my slumber to find Julius glaring down at me and the papers that surrounded my head. I peeled my cheek off the keyboard of my laptop and winced at the throbbing deep in the back of my skull.

"I was just transcribing and I had a glass of wine to help me get through it.." I muttered and reached out to grab the bottle to my left; it was empty, as was the one next to it. "Oops."

"Oops is right, look at you! You're a mess and we're supposed to be conducting interviews."

"I told you I needed time to transcribe everything before we continued!"

"Yeah, 10 hours ago! Which is, by my calculations, 8 hours more than you said you were gonna need. What happened to calling me when you were done? I was getting worried."

"Worried? Oh please, like you give a damn about anything other than yourself! And give me a break, this is a a lot to handle." I idly shuffled the papers in front of me in a last ditch effort to try and ignore the nausea rising from the pit of my stomach.

"Oh right, because your job is so hard. You get to talk to these people all day, I have to be the one to actually track them down and convince them that you aren't as crazy as you sound!"

"It's beyond that! The people I talk to, I don't get to have a follow up interview with, or even a drink afterwards. They don't get to go home after, back to their friends or families. They're dead, they're all dead and there's nothing I can do to change that. You know how hard that is? I hear their stories, their pain, and yet can only give them ten minutes back here? Potentially the last ten minutes they're ever gonna have on earth and they have to spend it talking to a complete stranger about two guys they once knew." I explained irritably, "You don't' understand...Death is so fucking cruel.."

"Excuse me? I don't understand the cruelty of death? Let me tell you something, ever wonder what happens to a baby's soul when it dies? I've taken more than my fair share up to heaven. There was one child, five days old when it died and you bet it suffered the whole way through. It knew nothing of this world except pain and fear. The heaven it went to was an exact replica of its mother's womb, the only place that had given it any sort of comfort and sense of security. Death may seem cruel but it has nothing in comparison to the shit that goes on down here. I may lack the connection that you humans share, but that doesn't mean I don't understand it, that I feel nothing. Don't you _ever_ dare question my thoughts on death because I guarantee they are far more complex than yours. Now pull yourself together, I'll give you ten minutes." The moment he stomped out of the room, I ran to the bathroom and emptied the contents of my stomach into the toilet. Doing the best I could to clean myself up, I had just started to organize the papers on the table when Julius arrived again, still looking sour, with Pamela in tow.

"Hi! Sorry about the mess, I haven't had the chance to clean up from my research." I said as I hastily shoved a pile of loose leaf into my bag and shoved it under the bed.

"Had one too many glasses of wine did you?" She smirked slightly.

"How could you tell? Are you psychic or something?" I regretted the words as soon as O said them. It doesn't pay to sound stupid.

"Well yes, but you also left the empty bottles out and I can recognize the symptoms of a hangover when I see one. Had a fair few myself back when I was alive." She gave a short laugh and gestured to my chair. "Sit! We'll talk quickly and then you can take a nap or eat some bacon. Just avoid runny scrambled eggs if you don't want to puke again!"

I sat down with a sigh of relief and pulled my voice recorder towards me. "So, I know Julius probably told you that I wanted to speak with you about the Winchesters, but there's been a change of plans. " I hit the record button.

"Oh really? How so?"

"I want you to tell me about Castiel."

"Oh, the angel responsible for burning my eyes out. Pardon me if I'm not too enthusiastic about the subject." Pamela gave me a rueful smile.

"I'm sorry, it's just I feel like he's a key component in their lives."

"Oh that's for sure. That angle causes more trouble than he's worth right from the get go, but those boys are enamored with him."

"You were the one to first make contact with him?"

"Yes and no, Dean was technically the first, he just had no recollection of it. The Winchesters came to me after Dean got out of hell. They need someone to figure out just what it was that had saved Dean, they really had no idea at that point. I managed to make contact with this being and it told me its name was Castiel."

"And then what happened?"

"I demanded to see his face but he kept warning me not too...Of course I didn't listen and next thing I knew the world was dark and my eyes were gone."

"Jeez...Did you have any idea how powerful this being would be?"

"I had a hunch. It had to be something big to straight up pull a man out of hell, but I guess I underestimated the effect it would have on me. Humans can't looks upon the true face of an angel you know, I found that out the hard way."

"He wasn't menacing or purposely hurting you?"

"No, didn't seem to be. He wanted me to turn back but I didn't listen. Doesn't change the fact that I'm dead because of that whole mess but I will take some of the blame." She shrugged but look a little bit pissed off all the same.

"Alright...Now is there anything else you can tell me! It can be about anything at this point."

"Well...I don't know if this will be of any use to you, but I did tell Dean to say yes to Michael."

"Michael? Say yes?" I cocked my head at her.

"I said that it would be better for everyone, because everyone who died would go to heaven and they'd always be happy then. Heaven is wonderful. But I'm still glad he never listened to me." Pamela ran her hand lightly over the surface of the table.

"What would Dean say yes to?" I was hopelessly confused now and Pamela even noticed.

"Ahh, so you don't know...Well be sure to tell Cas I said 'hi' when you talk to him. That was the whole purpose of this interview wasn't it? To work up the nerve to interview him after? Well good luck with that." Pamela got up and left on her own terms, chased by Julius who wanted to make sure she crossed back over safely. I shook my head and looked down at the notebook perched near my elbow. The page was filled with elaborate question marks that I had scribbled on there when I was bored. Finding a clear space I jotted down the words "Michael" and "Yes?" Before closing it back up and eagerly awaiting Julius' return.

"All done for the day?! You deserve a day off! Take tomorrow!" I chirped at him and he looked instantly suspicious.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I need to talk to an angel and I feel that would cramp your style, so you don't have to participate."

"These are angels you are talking about, it's not a good idea to mess with them. And that goes against your original plan of speaking only to dead people!"

"Well angels and ghosts are kind of alike..."

"By that logic, I'm the fucking Easter Bunny!"

"That doesn't remotely make sense and this is really important! Julius, you have to understand that talking to him will help me so much with my research. This will be my one exception to the rule!" I pouted slightly.

"I understand your predicament and your thought process but I in no way understand you." He sighed irritably and rubbed a hand up and down his face roughly. "Ugh! Do whatever you want, but I am in no means being a part of this! If you want to mess with angels, go ahead, but aim taking that vacation day you said I could have. No take backs!" He shot one more look of loathing at me before storming out and I had a mini victory dance.

It was time for me to catch an angel.


	9. Castiel

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"I summon the great angel Castiel to come help me with my assignment!" I slapped my hand down on the hotel table and succeeded in nothing more than bruising my wrist. "Owie...Guess that proves that website was pointless..." I said to no one in particular as I scratched another suggestion of the list. I had been trying for hours to summon Castiel but google had failed me in my quest for the right spell. There were thousands of different methods on the internet and digging through them all was a fruitless task. I was tired, bored, and no closer to a pair of wings.

"I need a Bobby Singer in my life...Or at least a half decent partner in crime." I grumbled as I reached page 10 of the search results. The partner in question was most likely lying on a beach somewhere drinking a pina colada, I could see it. Shoving the mental image of him in a speedo out of my mind, I hit the jackpot website wise. The graphics on this particular site were terrible and I had to quickly shut off my speakers as obnoxious nature sounds blasted from it, but it actually seemed legitimate. I was truly impressed, but also a bit ticked off that it took me so long to find.

Gathering the ingredients took me another few hours and required me going to some of the seediest shops in the area. Luckily I didn't have to order anything online, I didn't have the time to spare, but if this didn't work out, I had dropped a good $300 for nothing. Setting up the ingredients in a bowl as the website dictated, I held a match above it with shaking hands. I kept having to tell myself that the worst this could do was make my room smell horrible. Or it would summon a demon even though the site promised me it wouldn't. I forced my fingers to open up and the march dropped in, instantly engulfing the ingredients within. It was quite the impressive fire show but I didn't think anything had worked. Until I turned around of course.

"Umm hi?" I said cautiously to the man behind me. Surely this wasn't an angel, maybe TV had skewed my perception of what an angel should look like. What self respecting celestial being would be caught dead in a ugly tan trench coat?

"Why did you summon me? I don't know you..." The man replied, squinting his eyes in a confused manner.

"Umm no, you probably don't...You are Castiel right? I didn't fudge up somewhere along the way?"

"I am. How do you know about me?" He was more hostile now and I began to worry. Now that I actually had him in the room, I was less sure of my ability to convince people. Julius had always done that part, now I had the ropes and no idea what to do with them.

"Through Sam and Dean."

"You know them?"

"No exactly...That's why I need to talk to you." I took a deep breath. "This all sounds crazy and stalkerish but I promise you it isn't. I just would like to ask you some questions about them. It's for a research project. I've already talked to most of the dead people in their lives and I was wondering if you could provide some additional information on their dynamic."

"How have you been able to talk to the dead?"

"A reaper...I won't tell you which one because you might know him and he's already potentially in a lot of trouble right now and I'd rather not make it any worse." I added quickly in case Castiel got any ideas. He continued to survey me for several more moments until speaking again.

"How do I know you're not going to try to hurt them?"

"Because I'm about as threatening as a hippo."

"Hippos are one of the world's most deadly an-"

"Right, right, bad analogy but you get the point! I'm not trying to use this info to overthrow them or kill them or steal their pride and glory. All I want is answers, and I know that's a lame excuse for raising the dead but it's not harming anyone. I swear on everyone I've met so far since starting this, nothing that you tell me will be used against the Winchesters in any way whatsoever. Think of this meeting as you aiding me in writing their memoir. Except they're not dead and I'm still not going to kill them." I was awful at trying to explain myself and was damn glad I hadn't chosen a career in selling cars.

"I don't trust you."

"I don't trust you either but Bobby Singer does and he was the one who told me to talk to you. Oh, and Pamela says hi."

"You talked to Bobby?" Castiel said and I could see something flicker briefly in his gaze, it wasn't anything monumental, but it was a start; for a moment he looked happy.

"Yeah, I talked to him not too long ago. He said you would have what I needed even though technically you aren't dead. Or can I consider you on a separate plane of existence? What do angels qualify as?" I asked, propping my head up on my hand.

"I don't know what you're trying to ask me..." I had all the time in the world to interview this guy but I wasnt going to get anywhere with it if I didn't stop confusing the crap out of him.

"Sorry, just rambling, never mind." I sighed and stared at the blinking red light on my voice recorder. "So tell me, Are you willing to cooperate or not?"

"Do I have a choice?" Castiel looked hostile once more and I felt a headache coming on.

"Of course you have a choice, you always have a choice. I'm not gonna take your own free will away from you...Ignoring the fact that I kinda did by summoning you here in the first place." I winced slightly. Once again something I said seemed to open him up more. It was fascinating to watch as his guard slowly dropped and the tension in the room just eased off. He was in no way going to tell me everything he knew, but now I had a better chance of getting at least a couple answers out of him.

"What do you want to know?" He said finally.

"Why did you pull Dean out of Hell? That was you that did it, wasn't it?"

"Yes, because I was ordered to." It felt a little anti-climatic. I was hoping for some star-crossed lovers angle.

"Ordered by who exactly? The CEO of Heaven?" I joked and was surprised at his serious response.

"By God, yes." Something about his answer unnerved me. I had willingly suspended all my previous beliefs to do this project, even gone so far as to accept the possibility of angels and a higher being. But hearing it said out loud just felt...weird.

"But why exactly would God want to save the soul of some dude from Kansas who goes around with his little brother chasing urban legends?"

"In order to prevent Lillith from breaking the 66 seals that would've freed Lucifer from the cage." He spoke as if it were common knowledge. "Why are you laughing?"

"Oh nothing...Sorry." The image of Satan in a dog kennel refused to leave my mind. "And how did that work out for you guys? Did saving Dean save the world?"

"No, the seals were ultimately broken and Lucifer was freed." I had chosen the wrong moment to take a drink of water.

"He got out?! And went where?" I winced apologetically as Castiel impatiently wiped the water that had been spat on him off his face.

"He found a vessel on earth. Not his true vessel of course, that was Sam."

"Sam was Satan's suit? Don't tell me he's still here..."

"Lucifer? No. He was put back in the cage with Michael. Unfortunately Sam got sent down with them. The only way we could make it work was for Sam to consent to being the vessel."

"He's not still Satan is he? I don't know if I want to do this anymore if I have to deal with one of them being satanic. That won't end well for me."

"Yes, we just left one of the most powerful celestial beings inside of Sam Winchester." Castiel rolled his eyes and I fought the urge to hit him.

"Well you said he went with them down into the cage! How the hell did you separate Sam from Satan? Seems like a not so easy process if you ask me."

"I didn't. And I managed to pull him from the cage...but at a cost."

"Which was?"

"His soul."

"Is that the cost for everything for the Winchesters? Accidentally set Satan on the loose? Sacrifice your soul! Brother dead? Your soul will fix that too! Need life insurance? Just sell your goddamn soul."

"Dean doesn't have life insurance."

"Well, from what I've heard, he should really get on that."

"I don't disagree with you."

"Look at that! One thing we can agree on at least. So getting back to the point, you're telling me both Dean and Sam have been to Hell?"

"Yes."

"Huh..." I paused for a few moments. "So, you've known the Winchesters for a while now I'm guessing. Just give me your thoughts on them, what kind of men are they?"

"Dean is one of the bravest men I know. His actions can be rather rash and pigheaded at times but he never does anything that he doesn't believe to be the right. Sam is a bit more cautious on the other hand but just as strong willed and courageous as his brother. They both would do anything for each other, you're probably aware of that already. They're both incredibly loyal...They're the closest friends I have."

"Have you ever doubted their leadership? Perhaps Deans in particular?"

"I haven't had any reason to."

"I think you're lying but it was a nice thing to say so I'll drop it.." I looked down at my computer. "Anyway, moving on, what do you think about- Hey! What the hell are you doing? We're not done here." In the few seconds that I had looked away, Cas had stood up and started to head towards the door.

"I thought we were done."

"What gave you that idea?"

"You had run out of interesting things to say."

"Oh thanks, jerk. Sit your feathery-ass back down, we are not done."

"No." It was like working with a disobedient child that had the attention span of spoon.

"Are you done?"

"Yes."

"Fine then, leave! I won't keep you here any longer, I release you or whatever I need to say so you can go.."

"You don't need to say anything. I could've left at any time, I just chose not to." His sass was wearing me out.

"Well thank you for the honour of gracing my presence, oh holy one." I replied flatly. "One last thing though, where is God? Like, do you keep in contact with while you're on earth?"

"I don't know."

"How do you not know? Wouldn't he just be chilling up in Heaven? Or is he on earth too?"

"We can't find him." Castiel shrugged.

"You lost God?! First you free Satan and then you lose God? He's not like a lost sock in a dryer, he has to be somewhere."

"Maybe he doesn't want to be found."

"Why would he not want to be found? Did you say something mean to him? Did you hurt God's feelings?" I asked but Castiel was already gone. I cursed silently and made a firm note-to-self never to deal with an angels again, to stick to ghosts and ghosts were a lot easier to handle; a lot less annoying anyway.

About an hour after Castiel had left, Julius showed up once more, a tray of coffee held in front of him.

"Fifteen minutes late with Starbucks, how very like you." I commented.

"You missed me and you know it. You weren't actually interviewing anyone, you were just sitting here crying because I wasn't around." He handed me a latte.

"Yeah, you got me! How ever did you know." I took a sip and immediately spat it out. "Why is this spicy?"

"Oh yeah, I may have poured hot sauce in that one..." Julius said with a smile.

"But why?!"

"Punishment for summoning an angel! It's a good thing you chose a chode like Cas or that whole interview could've gone south fast! No more doing anything without me there to help you. I had a day to think about this and I realized that if you do something stupid like that again, it could be bad for both of us. You wanted my help, I'm gonna help and we're gonna do this my way." He jabbed his finger at me threateningly.

"You're not gonna be pleased with me then...I don't really need your help with this next interview."

"How so?"

"I contacted Linda Tran and she agreed to help out. Next on our list is Kevin Tran, boy wonder and coffee maker possessor!"

The look on Julius' face told me all I needed to know; it was going to be a long night.


End file.
